How to Thread an Industrial Sewing Machine

Using cones of thread saves money in your industrial machine.

An industrial sewing machine is designed to sew heavier fabrics than a household machine. The machine itself, called the "head," is attached to a table with a motor. Industrial machines sew faster than home machines, and can use both cones and spools of thread. Buying cones of thread is more economical than spools, and with just a few colors, you'll be able to sew most projects. A metal stand holds the thread to the right of the sewing machine, and the thread is fed through a small hook at the top of the stand before it goes to the machine.

Things You'll Need

• Thread
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Put a cone or spool of thread on the metal stand. Turn the machine's hand wheel counterclockwise to lift the needle to its highest point.

2. Lift the presser foot with the lift bar located behind the machine. Once you push the lift bar up, it will stay in that position. Most industrial machines also have a presser foot lift by the right knee. To use that presser foot lift, press your right knee into the pad. When you release the pad, the presser foot will go back down.

3. Put the thread through the two small disks of the thread guide on the top of the machine. Take the thread to the left of the machine, where there's a small metal piece with three holes. Thread from the left, to the right and back to the left.

4. Pull the thread down to the tension disk. Put the thread through the two tension disks, around the thin wire on the left side of the disk, and up through the metal loop above the tension disks. According to the editors of Vogue Sewing,"The strength of your seams depends on using the correct thread tension."

5. Put the thread through the take-up arm, which is the metal piece with a small hole on the left of the machine. The take-up arm moves up and down to pull the thread through the tension disks.

6. Take the thread through the metal loop on the far left of the machine and down to the needle area. Push the thread around the square metal piece above the needle and then through the needle itself. Thread the needle from front to back and leave a tail of at least six inches of thread behind the needle.

7. Put a wound bobbin in the bobbin case. Hold the bobbin case by its flat metal arm. Use your left hand to snap it into the bobbin area underneath the table.

8. Turn the hand wheel toward you. The needle will go between the feed dogs and bring up the bobbin thread. Use a pair of scissors to sweep both threads to the left and out of the way of the feed dogs.

Tips & Warnings

• Hold a piece of white paper behind the needle to help you to see the hole more clearly.

• Be sure to adjust the thread tension before you begin sewing your project.

References

• "Vogue Sewing"; Vogue Patterns; 1982